Moldboard wear strip

ABSTRACT

A moldboard assembly is disclosed. The moldboard assembly may include a blade and a wear strip in sliding contact with the blade. The wear strip may include a high visibility material that is transferred onto the blade at a predetermined percentage of a useful life of the wear strip.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to machines and, more particularly, to wear strips for moldboard assemblies.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Earthmoving machines, such as motor graders, may be used to perform displacement, distribution, and leveling of material, such as soil. A motor grader typically includes a moldboard assembly that is mounted to a frame of the motor grader by a mounting assembly. More specifically, a blade of the moldboard assembly may be positioned within retainers of the mounting assembly. Furthermore, wear strips may be provided between the retainers and the blade in order to facilitate retention of the blade in the moldboard assembly, while allowing sliding movement of the blade with respect to the retainers.

The wear strips may minimize effects of wear on the blade. In particular, the wear strips may act as a sacrificial material such that the wear strips are worn rather than the blade and/or the retainers. Once worn, the wear strips may be replaced, thereby extending a work life of the moldboard assembly. Currently, moldboard assembly wear strips may require frequent inspection, adjustment, and replacement in order to maintain grade accuracy.

However, operators may not be equipped with the tools or time required to perform a full inspection procedure on wear strips in order to determine if the wear strips have reached an end of their useful life. For example, the wear strips may be in difficult to access positions. As a result, difficulties arise in gauging an extent of wear of the wear strips, as well as in determining when to replace the wear strips.

A wear indicator on a tool is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0162241, entitled, “Method and System for Tool Wear Indicator.” In the 2011/0162241 publication, an easily identifiable wear indicator mark is formed on the surface of the tool blade. The 2011/0162241 wear indicator is formed by laser etching of the mark, a line pressed into the surface of the blade, dimples along a line, a scribe mark, paint, or a material located inside of the product that becomes visible when the part has to be replaced.

While arguably effective, there is still a need for a moldboard assembly that provides a highly visible wear indication of the wear strips.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In accordance with one aspect, a moldboard assembly is disclosed. The moldboard assembly may include a blade and a wear strip in sliding contact with the blade. The wear strip may include a high visibility material that is transferred onto the blade at a predetermined percentage of a useful life of the wear strip.

In accordance with another aspect, a machine is disclosed. The machine may include a frame, a blade, and a mounting assembly operatively configured to mount the blade to the frame. The mounting assembly may include a mounting bracket and a wear strip disposed within the mounting bracket. The wear strip may be configured to facilitate movement of the blade within the mounting bracket. The wear strip may include a high visibility material embedded therein. The high visibility material may be configured to be transferred onto the blade at a predetermined percentage of a useful life of the wear strip.

In accordance with another aspect, a wear strip for a moldboard assembly of a machine is disclosed. The wear strip may include a U-shaped body including a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and a third side connecting the first side and the second side. The wear strip may also include a colored material embedded within the third side and at least one of the first side and the second side of the U-shaped body at a predetermined depth that correlates to a predetermined percentage of a useful life of the wear strip. The colored material may be configured to be exposed and transferred to a blade of the moldboard assembly when the wear strip reaches the predetermined percentage of its useful life.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a machine, according to one aspect;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a moldboard assembly of the machine of FIG. 1, in accordance with another aspect;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a mounting structure of the moldboard assembly of FIG. 2, in accordance with another aspect;

FIG. 4 is an end view of a wear strip, in accordance with another aspect;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a plurality of wear strips, in accordance with another aspect;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a wear strip illustrating an exposed high visibility material, in accordance with another aspect; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a moldboard assembly illustrating markings of a high visibility material transferred onto a blade, in accordance with another aspect.

While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof will be shown and described below in detail. The disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but instead includes all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, and with specific reference to FIG. 1, a machine 20 is shown, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. It is to be understood that although the machine 20 is illustrated as a motor grader, the machine may be of any other type. As used herein, the term “machine” refers to a mobile or stationary machine that performs an operation involving physical movement associated with a particular industry, such as, without limitation, landscaping, construction, mining, forestry, transportation, agriculture, etc.

Non-limiting examples of machines include commercial and industrial machines, such as, motor graders, loaders, earth-moving vehicles, mining vehicles, backhoes, material handling equipment, agricultural equipment, and/or other types of machines that operate in a work environment. It is also to be understood that the machine 20 is shown primarily for illustrative purposes to assist in disclosing features of various embodiments, and that FIG. 1 does not depict all of the components of a machine.

As shown in FIG. 1, the machine 20 may comprise a frame 22, which may include a front frame 24 and a rear frame 26, a mounting assembly 28, and a moldboard assembly 30. The front frame 24 and the rear frame 26 may be supported by wheels 32 or other types of ground engaging members. The mounting assembly 28 may be operatively configured to support the moldboard assembly 30 and to mount a blade 34 of the moldboard assembly 30 to the frame 22, such as to the front frame 24. The moldboard assembly 30 may be configured to move the blade 34 for grading a surface of a construction site, a roadway, and the like. The rear frame 26 may support an engine 36, or other power source, and an operator cab 38. An operator may control steering of the machine 20 in the operator cab 38, which may house an operator interface 40.

Turning now to FIGS. 2 and 3, with continued reference to FIG. 1, the moldboard assembly 30 may facilitate lateral movement of the blade 34 such that the blade 34 may move side-to-side along an axis 42. More specifically, an upper rail 44 and a lower rail 46 may be mounted to the blade 34, such as via welding or any other suitable means of attachment. Each of the upper and lower rails 44, 46 may be composed of steel or any other suitable material.

Mounting brackets 48, 50 may be used to secure the upper and lower rails 44, 46 of the blade 34 to a mounting structure 52 of the mounting assembly 28. For example, the mounting assembly 28 may include an upper mounting bracket 48 and a lower mounting bracket 50 coupled to the mounting structure 52 on each side of the machine 20. The upper mounting brackets 48 may locate the upper rail 44, and the lower mounting brackets 50 may locate the lower rail 46 in order to guide lateral movement of the blade 34. However, other configurations may be used.

Each of the mounting brackets 48, 50 may include a wear strip 54 configured to facilitate movement of the blade 34 within the mounting brackets 48, 50 and reduce friction between the rails 44, 46 and the mounting brackets 48, 50. Disposed within the mounting brackets 48, 50, the wear strips 54 may provide sacrificial material to minimize wear on the rails 44, 46 and the mounting brackets 48, 50. More specifically, the wear strips 54 may be in sliding contact with the rails 44, 46 of the blade 34. For example, wear surfaces 56 (FIG. 4) of the wear strips 54 may be in contact with and slide against surfaces of the rails 44, 46.

Turning now to FIGS. 4-6, with continued reference to FIGS. 1-3, each wear strip 54 may comprise a body 58 having a generally U-shaped cross-section. The U-shaped body 58 may be coupled to and match a generally U-shaped inner surface of the mounting brackets 48, 50. The U-shaped body 58 may be configured to receive at least part of the rail 44, 46 during lateral movement of the blade 34. More specifically, the body 58 may include a first side 60, a second side 62 opposite the first side 60, and a third side 64 connecting the first side 60 and the second side 62. However, other configurations for the body 58 of each wear strip 54 may be used.

Furthermore, each wear strip 54 may include a high visibility material 66 that is transferred onto the blade 34 at a predetermined percentage of a useful life of the wear strip 54. The high visibility material 66 may be colored, or comprise a colored material. For instance, the high visibility material 66 may be red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, white, or a combination thereof. The high visibility material 66 may be composed of at least one of a paint, a solid paint, a crayon, a chalk, a graphite, a wax, or a combination thereof. However, other colors and/or types of materials may be used for the high visibility material 66.

The high visibility material 66 may be embedded within the wear strip 54 at the predetermined percentage of the useful life of the wear strip 54. For example, the predetermined percentage of the useful life of the wear strip 54 may be within an inclusive range of about eighty percent (80%) to about ninety percent (90%). Continuing the example, the predetermined percentage may be about eighty percent (80%) of the useful life of the wear strip 54, and the high visibility material 66 may be embedded within the wear strip 54 at about eighty percent (80%) of the useful life of the wear strip 54. However, other percentages than those listed above may be used as the predetermined percentage of the useful life of the wear strip 54.

In one example, the high visibility material 66 may be embedded within the wear strip 54 at a predetermined depth that correlates to the predetermined percentage of the useful life of the wear strip. However, other configurations may be used. In so doing, when the wear strip 54 reaches the predetermined percentage of its useful life, the high visibility material 66 may be configured to be exposed and transferred onto the blade 34, such as to at least one of the rails 44, 46 of the blade 34. More specifically, when the wear strip 54 is used and worn down to the predetermined percentage of its useful life, the high visibility material 66 may be exposed, as shown in FIG. 6. Once exposed, the high visibility material 66 may contact and transfer onto the rails 44, 46 upon sliding contact between the rails 44, 46 and the wear strip 54 with lateral movement of the blade 34 during normal operation of the machine 20.

Furthermore, the high visibility material 66 may be embedded within one or more sides 60, 62, 64 of the wear strip 54. For example, the high visibility material 66 may be embedded within the third side 64 and within at least one of the first side 60 and the second side 64 of the body 58 of the wear strip 54. However, other configurations may be used. In so doing, when the wear strip 54 reaches the predetermined percentage of its useful life, the high visibility material 66 may be transferred onto the blade 34, as shown in FIG. 7.

Moreover, the high visibility material 66 may be configured to transfer onto surfaces 68, 70, 72, 74 of the rails 44, 46, of the blade 34 that are visible to an operator or other personnel, such as during machine operation and/or a routine inspection. Upon wear of the wear strip 54 to the predetermined percentage of its useful life, the high visibility material 66 may be transferred to at least part of the surfaces 68, 70, 72, 74 of the rails 44, 46 of the blade 34. For instance, the high visibility material 66 may be configured to be transferred onto at least two surfaces of each of the rails 44, 46, such as, onto a top surface 68 and a back surface 70 of the upper rail 44 and a bottom surface 72 and a back surface 74 of the lower rail 46.

However, other configurations may be used. For example, the high visibility material 66 may be configured to mark only one of the rails 44, 46, at least one surface of each of the rails 44, 46, and/or other surfaces of the rails 44, 46 and/or the blade 34 in addition to or instead of the surfaces 68, 70, 72, 74. Markings of the high visibility material 66 on the rails 44, 46 of the blade 34 provide a visible indication to the operator or other personnel that the wear strip(s) 54 may need to be replaced.

In addition, the high visibility material 66 may be embedded at multiple positions within the at least one side 60, 62, 64 of the wear strips 54, as shown in FIG. 5. Furthermore, the multiple positions of the high visibility material 66 may be staggered relative to each other within the at least one side 60, 62, 64 of the wear strips 54. The multiple positions and/or staggered configuration may increase an amount and an area of the high visibility material 66 that is transferred to the rails 44, 46 upon exposure. In so doing, a stronger, clearer, and larger visible indication to the operator or other personnel may be achieved while maintaining robust structural characteristics of the wear strip 54. However, other configurations for the placement of the high visibility material 66 may be used.

The high visibility material 66 may include one or more colors 76, 78, 80, such as a gradient of at least two colors 76, 78, 80, as shown in FIG. 4. When transferred onto the rails 44, 46 of the blade 34, the gradient of the at least two colors 76, 78, 80 may indicate various predetermined percentages of the useful life of the wear strip 54. In one example, the gradient may include a first color 76 that is transferred onto the rails 44, 46 of the blade 34 at a first predetermined percentage of the useful life of the wear strip 54, a second color 78 that is transferred onto the rails 44, 46 of the blade 34 at a second predetermined percentage of the useful life of the wear strip 54, and a third color 80 that is transferred onto the rails 44, 46 of the blade 34 at a third predetermined percentage of the useful life of the wear strip 54.

Continuing the example, the second predetermined percentage may be greater than the first predetermined percentage, and the third predetermined percentage may be greater than the second predetermined percentage. For instance, the first predetermined percentage may be seventy percent (70%), the second predetermined percentage may be seventy-five percent (75%), and the third predetermined percentage may be eighty percent (80%). The first color 76 may be green, the second color 78 may be orange, and the third color 80 may be red.

However, other percentages, colors, and configurations may be used for the gradient of the high visibility material 66. The different colors 76, 78, 80 may provide a visible indication of the various stages of the useful life of the wear strip 54 to the operator or other personnel in order to reveal when the wear strip(s) 54 may need to be replaced. In so doing, frequent and full inspections of the wear strips 54 requiring extensive time and labor may be reduced.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

In general, the foregoing disclosure finds utility in various industrial applications, such as in earthmoving, construction, mining, transportation, industrial, agricultural, and forestry machines. In particular, the disclosed moldboard assembly and wear strip may be applied to motor graders, loaders, earth-moving vehicles, mining vehicles, backhoes, material handling equipment, agricultural equipment, and/or the like.

By applying the disclosed wear strip to a moldboard assembly, a visible indication of the degree of wear of the wear strip may be provided onto the blade of the moldboard assembly such that it is easily visible to the operator from the operator cab and/or to other personnel on the ground without having to remove the wear strip from the moldboard assembly and conduct a full inspection of the wear strip. More specifically, the disclosed wear strip includes a high visibility colored material embedded therein at a predetermined point signifying a predetermined percentage of a useful life of the wear strip. As the blade wears the wear strip, the high visibility material from the wear strip becomes exposed and transfers onto the blade at the predetermined point, such as near an end of the useful life of the wear strip. In so doing, the visible indication on the blade notifies operator or other personnel to replace the wear strip and service the machine without them having to perform frequent, involved inspections.

While the foregoing detailed description has been given and provided with respect to certain specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the scope of the disclosure should not be limited to such embodiments, but that the same are provided simply for enablement and best mode purposes. The breadth and spirit of the present disclosure is broader than the embodiments specifically disclosed and encompassed within the claims appended hereto. Moreover, while some features are described in conjunction with certain specific embodiments, these features are not limited to use with only the embodiment with which they are described, but instead may be used together with or separate from, other features disclosed in conjunction with alternate embodiments. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A moldboard assembly, comprising: a blade; and a wear strip in sliding contact with the blade, the wear strip including a high visibility material that is transferred onto the blade at a predetermined percentage of a useful life of the wear strip.
 2. The moldboard assembly of claim 1, wherein the blade includes a rail mounted thereto, and wherein the high visibility material is transferred onto the rail of the blade.
 3. The moldboard assembly of claim 1, wherein the predetermined percentage of the useful life of the wear strip is within a range of about eighty percent (80%) to about ninety percent (90%).
 4. The moldboard assembly of claim 1, wherein the high visibility material is composed of at least one of a paint, a crayon, a chalk, a graphite, and a wax.
 5. The moldboard assembly of claim 4, wherein the high visibility material is colored.
 6. The moldboard assembly of claim 1, wherein the high visibility material includes a gradient of at least two colors which when transferred onto the blade indicates various predetermined percentages of the useful life of the wear strip.
 7. The moldboard assembly of claim 6, wherein the gradient includes a first color that is transferred onto the blade at about seventy percent (70%) of the useful life of the wear strip, a second color that is transferred onto the blade at about seventy-five percent (75%) of the useful life of the wear strip, and a third color that is transferred onto the blade at about eighty percent (80%) of the useful life of the wear strip.
 8. The moldboard assembly of claim 1, wherein the high visibility material is embedded within the wear strip at a predetermined depth that correlates to the predetermined percentage of the useful life of the wear strip.
 9. The moldboard assembly of claim 8, wherein the high visibility material is embedded at multiple positions within at least one side of the wear strip.
 10. The moldboard assembly of claim 9, wherein the multiple positions of the high visibility material are staggered relative to each other.
 11. A machine, comprising: a frame; a blade; and a mounting assembly operatively configured to mount the blade to the frame, the mounting assembly including: a mounting bracket, and a wear strip disposed within the mounting bracket and configured to facilitate movement of the blade within the mounting bracket, the wear strip including a high visibility material embedded therein, the high visibility material configured to be transferred onto the blade at a predetermined percentage of a useful life of the wear strip.
 12. The machine of claim 11, wherein the high visibility material is colored and composed of at least one of a paint, a crayon, a chalk, a graphite, and a wax.
 13. The machine of claim 11, wherein the blade includes a rail received within the mounting bracket and in contact with the wear strip, and wherein the high visibility material is configured to be transferred onto the rail of the blade.
 14. The machine of claim 11, wherein the high visibility material includes a gradient of at least two colors which when transferred onto the blade indicates various predetermined percentages of the useful life of the wear strip.
 15. The machine of claim 11, wherein the gradient includes a first color that is transferred onto the blade at about seventy percent (70%) of the useful life of the wear strip, a second color that is transferred onto the blade at about seventy-five percent (75%) of the useful life of the wear strip, and a third color that is transferred onto the blade at about eighty percent (80%) of the useful life of the wear strip.
 16. A wear strip for a moldboard assembly of a machine, comprising: a U-shaped body including a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and a third side connecting the first side and the second side; and a colored material embedded within the third side and at least one of the first side and the second side of the U-shaped body at a predetermined depth that correlates to a predetermined percentage of a useful life of the wear strip, the colored material configured to be exposed and transferred to a blade of the moldboard assembly when the wear strip reaches the predetermined percentage of its useful life.
 17. The wear strip of claim 16, wherein the predetermined percentage of the useful life of the wear strip is about eighty percent (80%).
 18. The wear strip of claim 16, wherein the U-shaped body is configured to receive at least part of a rail of the blade of the moldboard assembly, and wherein the colored material is further configured to be transferred onto at least two surfaces of the rail.
 19. The wear strip of claim 16, wherein the colored material is embedded at multiple, staggered positions within each of the third side and the at least one of the first side and the second side of the U-shaped body.
 20. The wear strip of claim 16, wherein the colored material includes a gradient of at least two colors which when transferred onto the blade indicates various predetermined percentages of the useful life of the wear strip. 